In this RSA Animate, linguist Steven Pinker demonstrates how the mind turns the finite building blocks of language into infinite meanings. Along the way, he makes it clear why a good appreciation of cultural conventions is an essential ingredient for effective translation and why fully automated methods will never achieve 100% success in areas like the translation of dialogue whether for film scripts or business presentations to name just two.
To hear and see Pinker's full-length presentation on this and related issues, but without the wonderful animation, go here.
This blog focuses on a small niche in the language services market, namely the adaptation between French and English (and to some extent other language pairs) of technical journalism for clients who seek to influence a clearly definied readership. Typical projects include website localisation, press releases and technical articles designed to shape opinions rather than simply inform. My blog is also a repository for occasional items of interest to translators and linguists in general.
ChatGPT, a drafting aid for translation by emulation
On 17 October 2011, I published the first of two posts summarising my general approach to the type of translation/adaptation services I was ...
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OSASCOMP = Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose QOSASCOMP = Quantity, Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, ...
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Under the heading How To Do World Domination Right: 5 Tips For Better Localization , Jessica Stillman, a contributor to the Forbes blog , p...
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I've been looking for comments and information on the trend adopted by some newspapers and magazines regarding kickers, straplines, or w...